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Chemometric discrimination of airborne fibres: microplastics, regenerated cellulose and natural fibres
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Researchers measured airborne fiber concentrations across a variety of indoor and outdoor settings and used advanced analytical methods to distinguish between synthetic microplastics, regenerated cellulose, and natural fibers. They found that cellulosic fibers, often overlooked in microplastic surveys, frequently dominated particle counts in many environments. The study highlights the importance of identifying all fiber types in air quality assessments rather than focusing exclusively on synthetic plastics.
Interest in airborne microplastics has surged in the past decade, and a range of complementary tools are now used to characterize the different polymer found in samples. Most surveys, however, focus almost exclusively on synthetic fragments and fibres, overlooking the cellulosic fraction that often dominates particle counts. In this study, we measured the concentration of airborne particles in a range of indoor and outdoor settings and including densely populated areas, industrial zones, insular locations and natural reserve areas. We quantified both number- and mass-based concentrations of microplastics (MPs) and cellulosic fibres (CFs), with the latter outnumbering MPs by at least one order of magnitude. The average plastic-particle load was 0.024 MP/m (0.007-0.043 MP/m), whereas no MPs were detected in the natural reserve. MPs consisted mainly of polyethylene, acrylic and polypropylene, while polyester fibres predominated indoors. Because cellulosic materials can be either natural debris or anthropogenic fibres, we applied an advanced chemometric workflow, discriminant analysis coupled with Hotelling distances on mid-IR spectra, to distinguish cotton/linen textiles and regenerated cellulose (viscose, modal, Tencel) from plants, cutting ambiguous assignments by more than half. Roughly 50 % of all CFs were thus traced to textile sources. These results underline the importance of including CFs in airborne-plastic assessments and demonstrate that robust, yet widely accessible, μ-FTIR chemometric methods can deliver the resolution needed for accurate exposure and risk evaluations.
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Man-made natural and regenerated cellulosic fibres greatly outnumber microplastic fibres in the atmosphere
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Analysis of 33 studies found that man-made cellulosic microfibers are currently 2.5 times more abundant than synthetic (plastic) microfibers in the atmosphere, comprising 57% of all microfibers versus 23% synthetic. However, the proportion of cellulosic fibers is declining while synthetic fibers are increasing, with a projected crossover to synthetic dominance by 2030.
A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments
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This study is the first to investigate synthetic fiber contamination in both indoor and outdoor air, finding that indoor environments contained significantly higher concentrations of fibers than outdoor settings. Researchers identified that most airborne fibers were synthetic materials like polypropylene and polyethylene, with indoor levels ranging from 1 to 60 fibers per cubic meter. The findings suggest that people may be inhaling substantial amounts of microplastic fibers simply by spending time indoors.
Longitudinal Analysis of Airborne Microplastics and Cellulosic Fibers on a University Campus in Western Canada
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Researchers monitored airborne microplastics and cellulosic fibers at indoor and outdoor locations on a Canadian university campus over 13 months. The study found that outdoor environments had higher concentrations of both total particles and microplastics than indoor spaces, with polyester and polyamide being the most common polymers from synthetic textiles. Seasonal patterns showed indoor microplastic levels peaking in summer, likely influenced by regional wildfires driving people indoors.
Underestimation of Regenerated Cellulosic Microfibers in the Environment: Errors Introduced by Using Extraction Methods for Microplastics
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Researchers discovered that common extraction methods designed for microplastics can damage regenerated cellulose fibers, leading to their underestimation in environmental samples. The study suggests that as production of regenerated cellulose fibers increases as a substitute for synthetic fibers, current analytical methods may significantly undercount their environmental presence.
All that glitters is not plastic: the case of open-ocean fibres
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Researchers analyzed open-ocean textile fibers and found that a significant proportion are not synthetic plastics but rather natural fibers such as cotton and wool, challenging the assumption that all environmental fibers constitute microplastic pollution. This study calls for more precise characterization of fiber types in environmental monitoring to accurately assess plastic versus non-plastic contamination.
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